Just as his new film Halloween Kills is about to be released, director David Gordon Green has officially set a new, very different project. As reported by Deadline, Green has been tapped to direct a story about Walt Disney’s creation of the Disneyland theme park. This is a Disney Studios production that will premiere on Disney+.
Disney’s famous founder has appeared previously in a Disney film, 2013’s Saving Mr. Banks, which cast Tom Hanks as Disney and focused on his efforts to buy the rights to Mary Poppins from its author P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson). This new film is expected to look at the building of Disneyland, the only park built under his supervision and initially known as “Mickey Mouse Parks.” It opened in Anaheim, California, on July 17th, 1955, and was modeled in part on Henry Ford’s Museum and Greenfield Village, Tivoli Gardens in Denmark, Colonial Williamsburg, the Century of Progress in Chicago, and the New York’s World Fair of 1939.
There are now twelve Disney parks around the world, including international locations in Tokyo, Hong Kong, China, and Paris. Walt Disney World opened in Orlando, Florida in 1965 and serves as the other major US destination for children and adults of all ages. The original Disneyland has welcomed over 726 million visitors as of December 2018 since its launch more than half a century ago. ABC was an early financial partner in the park, coproducing the television show Disneyland.
This will be quite the genre transition for Green, whose Halloween Kills is set to be released this Friday in theaters and on Peacock. He directed the franchise’s top-grossing installment, Halloween, in 2018, and already has Halloween Ends lined up for a release next October. He is also working on a trilogy reboot of The Exorcist starring original cast member Ellen Burstyn and Leslie Odom Jr. Other notable credits include All the Real Girls, Pineapple Express, Joe, and Stronger.
On board with Green is writer Evan Spiliotopoulos, who has penned a number of scripts for Disney in the past, including its live-action Beauty and the Beast, as well as other hits like Snow White and the Huntsman, Hercules, and Snake Eyes. Producers include Jason Reed, Dana Brunetti, and Matt DelPiano for Cavalry Media, and Jessica Matthews will executive produce. Allison Erlikhman will oversee for Disney Studios. Reed developed the project and previously produced Disney’s live-action Mulan.